Red River Paper Blog

World-Renowned Photographers to Keynote Lake County’s PhotoEXPO

Red River Paper — Mon, 14 May 2012 18:15:07 +0000

In the Chicagoland area? Sign up to today for the Lake County PhotoEXPO featuring George Lepp and Hanson Fong. Red River Paper will be in attendance with door prizes and printing demonstrations. More information is below on the expo:

Photography enthusiasts of all levels can participate in a full day learning experience at the Lake County Camera Club’s PhotoEXPO on Saturday June 9 at the University Center of Lake County in Grayslake. The LCCC PhotoEXPO features two world-renowned keynote speakers from Canon USA’s Explorers of Light Program, George Lepp and Hanson Fong.

In addition, participants in the LCCC PhotoEXPO can choose from a variety of classes on various topics, workshops and computer labs, based on two educational tracks: “Nature, Wildlife and Landscape” and “Wedding, Portrait and Commercial”. The LCCC PhotoEXPO will also feature a photography contest, vendors, raffles, valuable discounts, and social networking events. Cost for the all-day event start at $80, with special discounts available for students.

Photo contest entry deadline is May 15

Registered participants are encouraged to enter the photo contest for an opportunity to win valuable prizes. Deadline for entry is May 15. Please visit the website at www.lcccphotoexpo.com for details, instructions for entering the photo contest, and a complete description of topics and classes.

World-Renowned Photographers to Keynote Lake County’s PhotoEXPO is a post from: Red River Paper Blog ------------------------------------------------------

Are both sides of double sided inkjet paper the same?

Red River Paper — Fri, 11 May 2012 18:33:21 +0000

Are Both Sides Equal?

Double sided inkjet paper is a paper with inkjet coating on the front and back of the sheet. This allows you to print photo quality and sharp text on both sides.

So, are the two sides the exact same? They are close, but not exactly the same. And certain types of inkjet paper will make the difference more noticeable.

If you notice a difference in the print quality on your next double sided print project, keep in mind it’s probably part of the way paper is made.

More

When paper is made, it has a “felt side” and a “wire side”. The wire side is rougher and may have a slight repeating texture. Normally, you will find double sided papers packed with the smoother felt side facing up in the box. Cotton fine art papers will have a more pronounced difference between the sides.

If you’re curious which side is which, hold up a sheet of paper at an angle in bright light. The difference will be apparent on close inspection.

Learn more about Red River’s unmatched line of double sided inkjet paper here

Are both sides of double sided inkjet paper the same? is a post from: Red River Paper Blog ------------------------------------------------------

Datacolor SpyderSTUDIO 4 Arrives at Red River Paper

Red River Paper — Mon, 07 May 2012 17:17:19 +0000

Thanks to the good folks at Datacolor, Red River Paper is now the proud owner of the new SpyderSTUDIO 4. It is a a complete color management and profiling solution for your camera, monitor, and printer.

Everything comes packed in this brilliant metal case and includes:

Colorimeter for monitor calibration
Spyder Cube for camera white balance adjustments
Spectrodensitometer for scanning printer targets
Device for holding printer targets
Stands for scanning devices
Cleaning cloth
Software
Setup instructions

Red River will begin profile target printing and scanning in May and will release new profiles for select printers in the following weeks and months. Stay tuned for updates on special profile offerings coming soon.

Datacolor SpyderSTUDIO 4 Arrives at Red River Paper is a post from: Red River Paper Blog ------------------------------------------------------

Inkjet Paper Physical Specs – A Primer on Weight and Thickness

Red River Paper — Tue, 01 May 2012 22:19:07 +0000

Here are the different ways to physically quantify photo inkjet papers. Keeping these numbers and scales in mind will help you visualize an inkjet paper based on its specs, either online or on a store shelf.

Weight

Weight is the measure of density of paper, or how heavy it feels. There are two popular units of weight you will see:

Pound Weight – There are actually many different pound weight scales used in the paper industry. The popular one for inkjet paper is the Bond Basis. If you can imagine a 20lb. sheet of copy paper, then you have a reference for the Bond Basis. (Paper Nerd Note: We get the Bond Weight of a paper by physically weighing 500 sheets of 17″ x 22″)

Grams per Square Meter or GSM - This scale is used extensively inside our industry and outside of North America. It is the weight in grams of square meter sheet of paper.

Pound Weights

20lb. – Copy Paper

50lb. – Photo book paper

60lb – Photo paper

86lb. – Heavy fine art paper

GSM Weights

120gsm – Copy paper

170gsm – Photo book paper

260gsm – Photo paper

320gsm – Heavy fine art paper

Thickness

Thickness is measured in mil, or thousandths of an inch. In many cases, knowing the thickness of a paper is more important to gauging printer compatibility than other specs. Keep in mind that thickness is related loosely to weight, but the two specs are not completely linked.

5mil = Copy paper
8mil = Photo book and quality brochure paper
10.4mil = Photo lab type paper
15+ mil = Cotton fine art and specialty media

Other Specs

There are other specs like stiffness, brightness, and opacity. These are technical numbers and all can be reported using different scales (ISO vs. ASTM). These specs are problematic when it comes to using them in making a buying decision. While the machine measuring them can certainly discern small differences, the human eye and touch are not really capable of quickly picking up on differences. For example, a 94 vs. 98 brightness paper will look quite similar depending on your lighting conditions. So as a rule we do not recommend relying on them too heavily.

Inkjet Paper Physical Specs – A Primer on Weight and Thickness is a post from: Red River Paper Blog ------------------------------------------------------

Russell Brown: Six Favorite Features from Photoshop CS6 in Six Minutes

Red River Paper — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 19:41:02 +0000

Our good friend Russel Brown from Adobe discusses his six favorite features of Photoshop CS6 in six minutes.

Russell Brown: Six Favorite Features from Photoshop CS6 in Six Minutes is a post from: Red River Paper Blog ------------------------------------------------------

Want to Win a Nikon Digital Camera?

Red River Paper — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 14:44:13 +0000

April is Nikon 1 month at Red River Paper’s Facebook page. We’re giving away a Nikon 1 digital camera. Entry to win is simple and only takes a few clicks.

Head to Red River’s Facebook page, Like us, then enter to win before the end of April 2012!

Click to for a chance to win a Nikon 1 digital camera

Want to Win a Nikon Digital Camera? is a post from: Red River Paper Blog ------------------------------------------------------

Canon PFI-105 and PFI-101 Ink Tanks for Image PROGRAF now available

Red River Paper — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 17:42:00 +0000

Canon PFI Ink Tanks for PROGRAF

Red River Paper is now a Canon PROGRAF dealer, and we’re beginning to add inks and some Canon media to our lineup.

You can now shop for Canon PFI-105 inks for the PROGRAF iPF6300, iPF6300S, and iPF6350 printers here

We’re also stocking the PFI-101 inks for Canon PROGRAF iPF6000S printers here. You can find the eight colors for this printer on hand and ready to ship.

Canon PFI-105 and PFI-101 Ink Tanks for Image PROGRAF now available is a post from: Red River Paper Blog ------------------------------------------------------

Rare panoramic film camera makes comeback in Landscape exhibit

Red River Paper — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 20:28:15 +0000

The Landscape: Three Interpretations

Red River Paper Pro Peter Randall is an accomplished editorial photographer with over 45 years experience and fourteen books to his name. Peter’s love of photography has taken him around the world and presented the opportunity to use a wide variety of cameras and equipment. Although the Canon 5d MkII is his primary camera, he says that his favorite system is still the Hasselblad X-Pan. A truly unique camera, the X-Pan is a super-35 that can shoot a double-wide 24mm x 65mm by taking two frame exposures at once.

Peter and two other photographers, David Speltz and Gary Samson, recently came together for an all X-Pan photography exhibition. Gary is the chair of the photography department at the New Hampshire Institute of Art, while David is retired and enjoying a second life as a travel photographer. They are all members of the New Hampshire Society of Photographic Artists. Interestingly, all three live within just a few miles of each other and share a passion for the quite rare X-Pan system.

The exhibition, entitled “The Landscape: Three Interpretations”, features 28 printed images.

Disappearing Landscapes

Peter chose images from his series documenting the few remaining small dairy farms in New Hampshire. In fact these photos as well as many others in his collection all come from a short eight mile stretch of road. The small farms saw mills, and people in his images represent the last of a once thriving culture in New Hampshire. Changing demographics and competition from industrial farming mean that the 40-60 cow dairy may not be around much longer. Peter’s goal has been to capture this lifestyle in broad, panoramic swatches while telling a detailed story of the people and culture.

Using the X-Pan allowed Peter to capture images in 2.7:1 ratio. Shooting true wide angle gave Peter lots of creative freedoms but also offered up its share of challenges. He notes, “When I’m looking at a scene, it’s critical to frame the shot so the viewer’s eye won’t wander and get lost.” While the image needs to document as much detail as possible, Peter cautions to find a unifying theme that ties everything together neatly. Of course this is not always possible. Looking back at some images, Peter notes, “I could crop one pano into three totally separate and valid images because they had so much content!”

The X-Pan also opens the feature of action to wide format photography. While digital capture is the standard today, Peter notes, “Most pano and super-wide shots come from multiple stitched images shot at different moments in time. Not so with the X-Pan. One shot can capture a wide image including all of the possibly moving people and things.”

Post Processing
Post-processing starts with transparency scans using an Imacon scanner. These high resolution files are then transferred to Photoshop and Aperture for editing. Since Peter is a documentarian, edits are kept to a minimum and images are adjusted so that they will maintain a true-to-life look and feel once printed.

All three photographers made prints on the Epson 3800, a 17” wide professional level printer. Peter chose Red River’s Aurora White in the 8.5” x 25” sheet size for the exhibit. Aurora is a smooth, 100% cotton fine art paper. Peter like the Aurora for “the subtle character and bright white tone which enhance contrast and allow image details to remain in focus.”
The show will hang in the Amherst Street Gallery in Manchester, NH from March 28 to April 28, 2012.

Rare panoramic film camera makes comeback in Landscape exhibit is a post from: Red River Paper Blog ------------------------------------------------------

Best Inkjet Note Cards for Front Feed Printers

Red River Paper — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 15:49:17 +0000

If your printer feeds paper from the front only, then you will likely need to choose a medium weight, more flexible inkjet paper for your greeting and note cards. This is because paper must make a full 180 degree turn before coming back out of the maching and being printed.

Matte Inkjet Note / Greeting Card Papers

47lb. Premium Matte
50lb. Premium Matte Double Sided
60lb. River Linen
60lb. Paper Canvas Photo Matte

Continue to the Best Inkjet Note Cards for Front Feed Printers

Best Inkjet Note Cards for Front Feed Printers is a post from: Red River Paper Blog ------------------------------------------------------

Best Photo Papers for HP Photosmart Inkjet Printers

Red River Paper — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 14:20:09 +0000

Best Photo Paper for HP Photosmart Printers

Attention HP Photosmart printer owners!

We challenge you to try Red River photo inkjet papers and you’ll quickly find that our papers are:

1) As good as or better than the HP equivalent.

2) Red River papers cost up to 40% less than HP photo papers every day.

We’ve assembled a listing of best photo papers for HP Photosmart printers. You’ll find glossy, satin / luster, matte, double sided, and specialty papers.

Start shopping now

Some helpful things to know:

HP sometimes the term “soft gloss”. They are referring to traditional satin or luster surface. This is the lightly textured photo surface you get from almost any photo lab print.

Red River papers are not “swellable polymer” material. This means they do not have the slightly rough backside that HP papers have. Red River papers all dry instantly.

There are no markings or logos on the back of Red River papers.

Best Photo Papers for HP Photosmart Inkjet Printers is a post from: Red River Paper Blog ------------------------------------------------------